Did you know that there are 836 calories in an average fast food meal? That’s almost half the calories needed for a 2,000 calorie diet! By producing and consuming fast food we are harming the environment and our health.  Fast food harms cows, increases our chances for coronary heart disease, causes depression, and produces just under half the litter in the U.S.

By consuming and supplying fast food, we are harming the environment. With the demand for more fast food, cattle have been given steroids in order to be slaughtered at a young age. According to Eric Schlosser,  to make cows gain weight and be profitable to be slaughtered at a young age, growth hormones have been administered to 80% of the U.S.A feedlot cattle. To explain, fast food has a higher demand, which means that many more cows are being administered growth hormones, to be slaughtered at a younger age.  One Green Planet says, fast food creates an abundance of litter from the packaging it uses.  Many people throw the packaging from fast food on the ground after they are done eating. Packaging from fast food counts for more than 40% of all litter with the most common being styrofoam, which takes 900 years to biodegrade.  In other words, when people throw out the packaging from their fast food, they are causing an abundance of litter. In conclusion, fast food packaging is 40% of all litter, and to get meat for fast food, cows are given growth hormones to be slaughtered at a young age.

Fast food is unhealthy and has a negative effect on our body. By eating fast food, we are increasing our risk of dying from coronary heart disease. According to John Lundy, people who eat fast food once a week increase the risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 20%. The risk of dying from coronary heart disease is increased by 50% for people who eat fast food 2 to 3 times a week and by 80% for those who eat 4 or more times a week. In other words, People who eat fast food have an increased chance of dying from coronary heart disease. Junk food is also directly linked to depression. One Green Planet says, results show that consumers of fast food are 51 % more likely to develop depression or another form of mental illness. This has affected an estimated 121 million people worldwide. To explain,  people who eat fast food have an increased chance of developing depression. In conclusion, fast food increases your chances of dying from coronary heart disease, and can cause depression which has affected 121 million people worldwide. 

While it tastes delicious, fast food has negative effects on the environment and our health. When we consume fast food we produce an abundance of litter,  can increase our chances of getting depression, and increase our chances for coronary heart disease. Fast food also distributes growth hormones to cows to kill at a younger age. Even though fast food is unhealthy, you don’t have to get rid of fast food completely. You can eat in moderation to not get all the unhealthy effects of fast food.  Would you giving up fast food completely after reading its effects?

Works Cited

Geer, Abigail. “10 Ways Fast Food Is Destroying the World.” One Green Planet. N.p., 07 Jan. 2014. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

Lundy, John. “Health Notes: Study Examines Health Effects of Eating Fast Food.” Duluth News-Tribune 05 July 2012: n. pag. Newspaper Source. Web. 8 Feb. 2017.

Schlosser, Eric. “Cheap Food Nation.” Nov.-Dec. 2006: n. pag. Middle Search Plus. Web. 8 Feb. 2017.